Wednesday, January 30, 2008

I think it's technically a wind day, but who cares - I got the day off work again! We had our carpet installed on Monday, so I really needed this day to get everything organized upstairs. And I'm working on a grant for school that I've been trying to get done in between classes coming into the library, so today is the perfect time to wrap it up and submit it. Yeah! And I know I haven't mentioned the adoption in a while, but that is of course, due to the fact that there is nothing to mention! Soon, hopefully soon, we'll hear something. This quilt square is from my sweet cousin, Bobbie. I love the fact she used the same fabric she had her prom dress made with.

I think it's technically a wind day, but who cares - I got the day off work again! We had our carpet installed on Monday, so I really needed this day to get everything organized upstairs. And I'm working on a grant for school that I've been trying to get done in between classes coming into the library, so today is the perfect time to wrap it up and submit it. Yeah! And I know I haven't mentioned the adoption in a while, but that is of course, due to the fact that there is nothing to mention! Soon, hopefully soon, we'll hear something. This quilt square is from my sweet cousin, Bobbie. I love the fact she used the same fabric she had her prom dress made with.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

It's another weekend of working on the house. We're having carpet installed on Monday (yeah!!) so Marc is working on getting the floors ready upstairs. And tomorrow is more painting in the nursery for me (the trim around the windows this time). I can't wait to be able to put all the furniture in there!!!

On my break from cleaning today, I came up with the idea of having a Tet Celebration at our house. This could involve a day-trip to Chinatown in TO for decorations and an excuse to invite a few people over and try some more Vietnamese recipes. Hmmmm, could be a lot of fun! We'll have to see.

Today's quilt squares are from 2 of my friends from work, Kristi and Mike.

It's another weekend of working on the house. We're having carpet installed on Monday (yeah!!) so Marc is working on getting the floors ready upstairs. And tomorrow is more painting in the nursery for me (the trim around the windows this time). I can't wait to be able to put all the furniture in there!!!

On my break from cleaning today, I came up with the idea of having a Tet Celebration at our house. This could involve a day-trip to Chinatown in TO for decorations and an excuse to invite a few people over and try some more Vietnamese recipes. Hmmmm, could be a lot of fun! We'll have to see.

Today's quilt squares are from 2 of my friends from work, Kristi and Mike.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

1. receptionist @ a chiropractor's office2. restaurant hostess (at the same restaurant Marc was a server at, and then we fell in love and lived happily ever after)3. library clerk4. school librarian (currently, also the best job in the world)

4 movies watched over and over:

1. You've Got Mail2. The Family Stone3. The Cutting Edge (thanks for reminding me about this one Jenna)4. The Little Mermaid

4 places I’ve lived:(sadly, I have always lived within a 10 mile radius of my current house other than the 6 months I studied abroad)

1. Kenmore, NY2. Tonawanda, NY3. London, England4. Buffalo, NY

4 shows I watch:

1. The Office2. 30 Rock3. Survivor4. any reality show on MTV or VH1 and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

4 places I’ve been:

1. Paris2. Amsterdam3. Barcelona4. Rome

4 people who e-mail me regularly:

1. co-workers2. Marc3. Christa4. Ideal Bite (daily tips about how to live green)

1. receptionist @ a chiropractor's office2. restaurant hostess (at the same restaurant Marc was a server at, and then we fell in love and lived happily ever after)3. library clerk4. school librarian (currently, also the best job in the world)

4 movies watched over and over:

1. You've Got Mail2. The Family Stone3. The Cutting Edge (thanks for reminding me about this one Jenna)4. The Little Mermaid

4 places I’ve lived:(sadly, I have always lived within a 10 mile radius of my current house other than the 6 months I studied abroad)

1. Kenmore, NY2. Tonawanda, NY3. London, England4. Buffalo, NY

4 shows I watch:

1. The Office2. 30 Rock3. Survivor4. any reality show on MTV or VH1 and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

4 places I’ve been:

1. Paris2. Amsterdam3. Barcelona4. Rome

4 people who e-mail me regularly:

1. co-workers2. Marc3. Christa4. Ideal Bite (daily tips about how to live green)

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

I am feeling soooo much better after one fun-filled weekend. Here's a re-cap...Friday night not only involved sushi and beer, but we also managed to watch an unexpectedly hilarious movie - The Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller. Laughed so hard I almost peed my pants.

So on Saturday we headed over the border for our annual Curling tournament. Here's my team, The Hoser's. (if you're not familiar with the term "hoser", you can click here to educate yourself)

Here I am "throwing" the rock. Like a pro.

In between games, you get to go into the club house and watch everyone else make a fool out of themselves.Speaking of making a fool of yourself - whoops!

Here's Marc and Brian calculating a strategy. And apparently it was a strategy that worked because "The Hoser's" came in first place!

And the "Ice Pirates" won the team spirit award.

But the competition doesn't end on the ice, there were still plenty of games of Jenga and Catch Phrase to be had! Here's Marc, Jeff and Mark in the middle of a very tense game...Ooooooh.And as if that wasn't enough fun for one weekend, I still got to go to my favorite restaurant to celebrate 2 of my friend's birthdays! Great food, drinks and company, how could you go wrong? Needless to say we had a great time!

And as I'm typing this post, I just got a phone call from my brother to tell me that Courtney is in labor again, but this time it's good news!!! I think it was more than 10 weeks ago that she went into labor the first time and she's been on bed-rest ever since. But now the baby should be big and healthy, so instead of this being a scary time, it's a very exciting time. I wonder if he'll be born tonight! I'll keep you posted!

So needless to say, I feel like I've been brought back to life and I think this is going to be a much better week...

I am feeling soooo much better after one fun-filled weekend. Here's a re-cap...Friday night not only involved sushi and beer, but we also managed to watch an unexpectedly hilarious movie - The Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller. Laughed so hard I almost peed my pants.

So on Saturday we headed over the border for our annual Curling tournament. Here's my team, The Hoser's. (if you're not familiar with the term "hoser", you can click here to educate yourself)

Here I am "throwing" the rock. Like a pro.

In between games, you get to go into the club house and watch everyone else make a fool out of themselves.Speaking of making a fool of yourself - whoops!

Here's Marc and Brian calculating a strategy. And apparently it was a strategy that worked because "The Hoser's" came in first place!

And the "Ice Pirates" won the team spirit award.

But the competition doesn't end on the ice, there were still plenty of games of Jenga and Catch Phrase to be had! Here's Marc, Jeff and Mark in the middle of a very tense game...Ooooooh.And as if that wasn't enough fun for one weekend, I still got to go to my favorite restaurant to celebrate 2 of my friend's birthdays! Great food, drinks and company, how could you go wrong? Needless to say we had a great time!

And as I'm typing this post, I just got a phone call from my brother to tell me that Courtney is in labor again, but this time it's good news!!! I think it was more than 10 weeks ago that she went into labor the first time and she's been on bed-rest ever since. But now the baby should be big and healthy, so instead of this being a scary time, it's a very exciting time. I wonder if he'll be born tonight! I'll keep you posted!

So needless to say, I feel like I've been brought back to life and I think this is going to be a much better week...

Friday, January 18, 2008

It's official. I've just had the worst week of my life. Ironically, there are a few positives to having completed the worst week of your life. #1 - My week was so miserable that I barely had a chance to dwell on the fact that this adoption is taking sooooo much longer than we anticipated and that when we started it almost 9 months ago, we honestly thought that we would be close to traveling at around this time of year. Ha! #2 - It's making this weekend look like it's going to be one of the BEST weekends ever. Here's what it entails:

Tonight I do not plan on getting off of this couch- we are ordering sushi from the joint around the corner and renting a movie. Ahhhh. I do need to be well rested for tomorrow's 2nd annual Curling tournament. Throw all of my bestest work friends and favorite family members into a Canadian curling rink and fun is sure to be had by all. I'll follow up with some intense relaxing all day Sunday. Then I'll enjoy my day off on Monday with perhaps a little shopping, and then end it with a ladies night out at my favorite restaurant - The Left Bank. TGIF.

This sweet quilt square is from one of my best friends from high school, and her family.

It's official. I've just had the worst week of my life. Ironically, there are a few positives to having completed the worst week of your life. #1 - My week was so miserable that I barely had a chance to dwell on the fact that this adoption is taking sooooo much longer than we anticipated and that when we started it almost 9 months ago, we honestly thought that we would be close to traveling at around this time of year. Ha! #2 - It's making this weekend look like it's going to be one of the BEST weekends ever. Here's what it entails:

Tonight I do not plan on getting off of this couch- we are ordering sushi from the joint around the corner and renting a movie. Ahhhh. I do need to be well rested for tomorrow's 2nd annual Curling tournament. Throw all of my bestest work friends and favorite family members into a Canadian curling rink and fun is sure to be had by all. I'll follow up with some intense relaxing all day Sunday. Then I'll enjoy my day off on Monday with perhaps a little shopping, and then end it with a ladies night out at my favorite restaurant - The Left Bank. TGIF.

This sweet quilt square is from one of my best friends from high school, and her family.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

So I finally started painting on Saturday and when I showed Marc the first completed wall, he said, "Oh wow, you went with fluorescent blue." Um no, it's robin's egg blue, but a shade lighter.

And luckily it dried lighter then it went on. I was really nervous about this color, I wanted something unexpected and funky, but not too crazy. I think it'll come together when we put the furniture in there. I hope so. Our entire upstairs is getting carpeted next week, so we've been slowly filling our downstairs with furniture and stuff that belongs upstairs. Like our dining room is filled with nursery stuff. Super fun.

Today's quilt square's are from our friends that are adopting from Korea, Christa and Andy. And along with their fabric, they attached a heart pendant with Poppy's name on it. Love it!

And this one is from Christa's mom, and it didn't show up that great when I scanned it, but the fabric is winnie the pooh.

So I finally started painting on Saturday and when I showed Marc the first completed wall, he said, "Oh wow, you went with fluorescent blue." Um no, it's robin's egg blue, but a shade lighter.

And luckily it dried lighter then it went on. I was really nervous about this color, I wanted something unexpected and funky, but not too crazy. I think it'll come together when we put the furniture in there. I hope so. Our entire upstairs is getting carpeted next week, so we've been slowly filling our downstairs with furniture and stuff that belongs upstairs. Like our dining room is filled with nursery stuff. Super fun.

Today's quilt square's are from our friends that are adopting from Korea, Christa and Andy. And along with their fabric, they attached a heart pendant with Poppy's name on it. Love it!

And this one is from Christa's mom, and it didn't show up that great when I scanned it, but the fabric is winnie the pooh.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

So I ended up being a little more productive than I anticipated on my day off! While I did take the time to watch just about the entire season 2, I also managed to meet a friend for lunch downtown, do all of the laundry in our house, run all the errands I needed to run - which included finding the best uniforms ever for my curling team (more to come on curling at a later date), visit with Andrea and kids for a little while and make dinner for Marc! The only thing I didn't get done that day was my over-due phone call to my agency and that was because I have been so frustrated with them lately that I didn't have it in me to not say, "Where the F are the referrals?!?!?" Anyways... And then Thursday I was a scrapbooking maniac after school and was able to scrapbook half of the 100 good wishes quilt! What a domestic diva I have become.

After a 3+ month delay, work on the nursery is well on it's way. Windowsills are in, walls are ready for paint and more woodwork is being cut as we speak. And I'm supposed to be painting as I speak/type. Here's a sneak peek, which probably doesn't look much different from the last picture, but trust me, it's progress!Ok, I'm going to turn the computer off now so that I can't paint. I hate painting. I really hope I like the color I picked out because I don't want to paint again. Leaving you with the Buxton's very special quilt squares...

So I ended up being a little more productive than I anticipated on my day off! While I did take the time to watch just about the entire season 2, I also managed to meet a friend for lunch downtown, do all of the laundry in our house, run all the errands I needed to run - which included finding the best uniforms ever for my curling team (more to come on curling at a later date), visit with Andrea and kids for a little while and make dinner for Marc! The only thing I didn't get done that day was my over-due phone call to my agency and that was because I have been so frustrated with them lately that I didn't have it in me to not say, "Where the F are the referrals?!?!?" Anyways... And then Thursday I was a scrapbooking maniac after school and was able to scrapbook half of the 100 good wishes quilt! What a domestic diva I have become.

After a 3+ month delay, work on the nursery is well on it's way. Windowsills are in, walls are ready for paint and more woodwork is being cut as we speak. And I'm supposed to be painting as I speak/type. Here's a sneak peek, which probably doesn't look much different from the last picture, but trust me, it's progress!Ok, I'm going to turn the computer off now so that I can't paint. I hate painting. I really hope I like the color I picked out because I don't want to paint again. Leaving you with the Buxton's very special quilt squares...

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

I have an unexpected day off due to a power outage at my school. Yahoo!!! Ok, now what should I do today? Let's see, I have 3 seasons of Sex and the City to catch up on, which I have to admit, I'm totally addicted to. I have a nursery that needs to be painted, decorated, etc. I have books to read for book club, as well as for a project I'm working on for school. I have an over-due phone call that needs to be made to my agency. I have laundry that desperately needs to be done. I have a few things I should go shopping for. Who am I kidding? I have an entire day to watch Sex and the City un-interrupted?! How could I pass that up?!

Tomorrow I am staying after school with a couple of friends to work on scrapbooking. I am starting Poppy's 100 Good Wishes scrapbook! These wonderful wishes are from my friends Jacqie & Erik-

I have an unexpected day off due to a power outage at my school. Yahoo!!! Ok, now what should I do today? Let's see, I have 3 seasons of Sex and the City to catch up on, which I have to admit, I'm totally addicted to. I have a nursery that needs to be painted, decorated, etc. I have books to read for book club, as well as for a project I'm working on for school. I have an over-due phone call that needs to be made to my agency. I have laundry that desperately needs to be done. I have a few things I should go shopping for. Who am I kidding? I have an entire day to watch Sex and the City un-interrupted?! How could I pass that up?!

Tomorrow I am staying after school with a couple of friends to work on scrapbooking. I am starting Poppy's 100 Good Wishes scrapbook! These wonderful wishes are from my friends Jacqie & Erik-

Sunday, January 6, 2008

It's been an exhausting week trying to get back into the swing of things after holiday break. But we had a fun weekend of watching Tucker, taking all of our decorations down and then going out with some friends and family to a local Japanese restaurant. Here's an action shot Marc caught...

And then because Nate and Dar were Shogun rookies, we made Nate celebrate his belated birthday Japanese style!

I'm starting to wrap up getting the quilt squares and I'm getting really excited to see how this thing is going to turn out. Prepare yourself for the following quilt squares from my friend Tammy. She gave them to me all nicely presented on scrapbook paper, but unfortunately the top of this first one got cut off when I scanned it, but it says: "May you always be Mad About Plaid!" And how cute are her boys - Jack and Jeremy?